France is pushing for a change that would make them the first European nation to implement a guideline for influencers and their altered photos.
A new bill, as revealed by Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, hopes to set a new bill into law by forcing social media personalities to disclose to their followers which of their photos have been edited through the use of Photoshop and/or other editing apps. When an influencer posts a pic for commercial use that’s gone through any kind of filtering or editing, the potential new law would make it mandatory for those people to make this known to their fans.
“All promotion for cosmetic surgery by an influencer as part of a paid partnership will be prohibited,” Le Maire revealed in a recent press conference. “I want to say to the influencers who do not respect the law, from now on we will have a zero-tolerance approach.”
Given the harm social media has already done to teenagers, France is imposing a law that clearly states the photo is not natural to dampen the harmful cultural standards that have formed from the use of platforms such as Instagram.
Let’s not forget that France already passed a law back in 2017 which states that Photoshopped bodies on social media deserve to be called out. In October of that year, it became mandatory for people to label their pics as “retouched photos” for any commercial purposes when the body has been altered. In France, more than 600,000 people are reportedly suffering from eating disorders, not to mention that more and more people are being diagnosed with anxiety and depression — and influencers who are Photoshopping their images are partially said to be at fault for that.
Social media has become an integral part of our lives, and it has a significant impact on our mental health and body image. Studies have shown that excessive use of social media can lead to feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Social media platforms like Instagram have also been criticized for promoting unrealistic beauty standards, which can lead to body dissatisfaction and eating disorders, especially among teenagers.
Influencers play a crucial role in promoting unrealistic beauty standards on social media. They often use filters and photoshop to enhance their appearance, and this can lead to unrealistic expectations among their followers. Many influencers also promote weight loss products and diet plans, which can be harmful to those with eating disorders.
The new law in France has the potential to benefit teenagers and those with eating disorders by reducing the impact of social media on their mental health and body image. By requiring influencers to disclose whether their photos have been photoshopped or filtered, social media users will have a better understanding of what is real and what is not. This can reduce unrealistic beauty standards and promote body positivity and acceptance.
Some critics have raised concerns about the new law, arguing that it could be difficult to enforce and that it could lead to censorship of social media content. Others have argued that the law could be too restrictive and limit the creativity of influencers. There are also concerns that the law could lead to a rise in cyberbullying and online harassment.